Omega · July 31, 2026
Selling the Omega Speedmaster 3570.50
The Moonwatch under its pre-renumbering reference — Caliber 1861, Hesalite, and what separates a strong 3570.50 from a tired one.
Market guide: This article explains valuation factors. It is not a customer testimonial, completed transaction, promise or appraisal.
Sellers are sometimes thrown by the reference 3570.50, because it looks nothing like the long dotted numbers Omega uses today. It is simply the older cataloging system: the 3570.50.00 is the Moonwatch as it was sold from the mid-1990s until Omega switched to the 311.30.42 style number around 2014. Same 42mm case, same hand-wound movement, same Hesalite crystal — a different label on essentially the same watch. If you have a 3570.50, you have a classic-era Moonwatch, and that lineage is the first thing worth pinning down.
The movement is the Caliber 1861, the hand-wound, cam-actuated chronograph that carried the Moonwatch through this whole period. It is the same well-known caliber found in the later 311.30.42, which is good news for a seller: any competent watchmaker can service it, parts are available, and a buyer has no anxiety about keeping it running. That mechanical familiarity is why the offer on a 3570.50 turns on the case, dial and completeness rather than on movement risk.
It is important to separate the 3570.50 from its display-back sibling. During the same years Omega also sold a sapphire-crystal, exhibition-caseback Moonwatch under a different reference; the 3570.50 is the traditional one, with the Hesalite crystal and the solid steel caseback stamped with the seahorse and the Moonwatch wording. Buyers who want the reference specifically want that solid-back, Hesalite configuration, so confirming it — rather than assuming — is part of setting the right expectation.
The Hesalite crystal is a feature, not a flaw. It picks up surface scratches that a sapphire would not, but those scratches buff out with a mild polishing paste, and knowledgeable buyers expect a lightly hazed crystal on a watch that has been worn. What you should not do is present a scratched crystal as damage or, worse, have a shop fit an incorrect replacement. A correct, intact Hesalite crystal — even a scuffed one — is what belongs on the watch.
The variants and dial details that move value are modest but real. Across the 3570.50 run there are differences in the applied logo, the tritium-versus-Luminova transition on the dial and hands, bracelet construction and clasp style, and boxed packaging. A collector notices these; they nudge the number rather than transform it. This is a long-production reference, so no one should expect a hidden transitional-piece premium on a standard 3570.50 — the value is in a clean, honest, complete example.
A recurring source of confusion on this reference is the bracelet. Over its long run Omega fitted more than one bracelet style and clasp, and replacement or aftermarket bracelets are common on the secondhand market. A correct-period Omega bracelet with a matching clasp adds value and is expensive to source separately, so if you have the original — and any removed links — it is worth confirming rather than assuming, because a wrong or aftermarket bracelet is visible to a buyer and factored straight into the number.
The dial and hands also carry a rough date signature. Earlier 3570.50 examples used tritium lume, marked as such on the dial, while later ones switched to Luminova, and the two age differently — tritium warms with time, Luminova stays whiter. Neither is wrong, but an original, evenly aged dial of either type is worth more than a swapped service dial, and if a past Omega service replaced yours, keeping the original in its bag protects value that is otherwise quietly lost.
Condition is where a strong 3570.50 pulls away from a weak one. The Speedmaster case has faceted lugs with defined brushing, and an over-polished case that has lost those edges reads as tired to anyone who knows the watch. A dial that has aged evenly is fine; a swapped service dial is acceptable but worth less and must be disclosed. If Omega replaced your dial, hands or bezel during a past service and returned the originals, those parts may be worth more than what is on the watch now — keep them.
Service history feeds the offer directly on a hand-wound chronograph. A 1861 that starts crisply, resets to a true zero and keeps a reasonable rate is a watch a buyer can trust; one that sticks, runs fast or winds roughly is signaling that a full service is due, and that cost is reserved for in the number. A recent, receipted service is one of the most useful things you can mention, because it converts the single biggest unknown into a known.
Completeness helps in proportion. A correct-period bracelet, the boxes, the papers, the extra links and any service records all widen the audience and lift the offer toward the top of a range. Their absence is not fatal — plenty of good 3570.50s trade watch-only — but the original bracelet in particular is expensive to replace, so having it matters more than the paperwork does.
Bringing it together, a direct offer on a 3570.50 comes from confirming the solid-back Hesalite configuration, grading the case for polishing, verifying the chronograph works and accounting for service age, and factoring in the bracelet and box. A sharp, unpolished, serviced, complete example earns the top of its range; a buffed, service-due, watch-only piece earns a fair lower number, and we explain the gap rather than hide it. If you want to see the 3570.50 in the context of the full Speedmaster range we buy, the Speedmaster page is the place to start, and clear photos of the caseback, dial and clasp let us place your watch before we meet.